Blog post 2 for lightning project

I think that lightning has something to do with electricity and static electricity. I think lightning might be caused by friction between the hot and cold air in the sky during a storm. I've heard people refer to the interaction between hot and cold air when they are referring to thunder, and thunder is the sound that is created by lightning.

I think I can do some experiments with static electricity to help me understand my questions about lightning, mainly what types of objects attract a lightning bolt. I know that if you rub a balloon on your hair that your hair is then attracted to the balloon because of static electricity.
 

I would like to try to create static electricity with a balloon and see if I can create some type of spark. I could use different objects like a metal doorknob, a cup of water, a wooden chair, etc. I am suspecting that when the balloon is near  metal it will be more likely to create a spark. If this holds true, it would lead me to believe that lightning is in fact attracted to metal. Hopefully, by experimenting with static electricity I can find out what types of objects attract electricity, which will in turn help me figure out what types of objects lightning is attracted to.

Blog Post #1- Lightning

What is up with lightning?

                       

So the other day I was driving back to school during a storm and saw some lightning. I began to wonder, "what causes lightning?"," What determines where lightning strikes?" "Why are there sometimes one single bolt of lighting and other times there are multiple bolts of lighting at once?"

During some really bad storms we had last semester my grandparents house got struck by lightning and caught fire! Their house had been hit by lightning before, but the only thing it did was make the electricity go off. Why was it different this time? Why did it cause a fire this time but not the other times? They live up on a very big hill in Columbia, TN. The lightning struck the highest point of their house. This makes me think that height/ proximity to the sky makes it more likely for things to be struck by lightning.

What other factors make something prone to being struck by lightning? I've always heard that water attracts lightning. You know when you're swimming and a storm comes, parents make you get out of the water, especially if they see lightning or hear thunder. In picture 3, it looks like the lightning is hitting water. I also have heard that metal attracts lightning. In picture 2, it looks like the lighting is hitting metal that is on top of a high tower. Are these statements about lighting being attracted to water and metal true? Are there other factors that affect where lightning strikes?

I would like to research and experiment to try and find some answers to these questions.